Buckeyes No.4 in first BCS ratings, FSU surprise No.2

By Tim May

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

It was not stunning to see Ohio State sitting at No.4 in the first Bowl Championship Series ratings announced tonight, but after No.1 Alabama, there was a surprise.

Florida State, fresh off a lopsided victory at Clemson on Saturday night, was No.2 ahead of Oregon, which has been No.2 in the major polls for weeks behind the defending national champion Crimson Tide.

The Buckeyes (7-0), who staged a come-from-behind, 34-24 win over heavy underdog Iowa on Saturday, own the nation’s longest win streak at 19. But they have slipped from a starting point of No.2 in the USA Today coaches poll to now No.4 and are No.4 in the Harris Interactive poll.

Those two polls make up two-thirds of the BCS ratings formula. The other third is an average of six computer ranking services, and there the Buckeyes’ average is No.5, dragged down by its strength of schedule.

Florida State, to the contrary, might be No.3 in the polls, but it has an average computer ranking of No.1, which boosted it into the second spot in the BCS ratings ahead of Oregon. The Ducks are No.2 in both polls but only No.4 in the computer average.

No.5 in the BCS is Missouri, which vaulted 10 spots or more in the polls today, up to No.6 in the Harris and No.7 in the coaches vote, after dispatching Georgia and Florida in back to back games. The computers like the Tigers, pegging them No.3 on average.